Luxgen Motor venturing into Mideast market

Luxgen Motor Co (納智捷汽車), a subsidiary of Taiwan-based car maker Yulon Motor Co (裕隆汽車), yesterday said it was looking to expand in the Middle East, which has a growing appetite for luxury vehicles.

Luxgen Motor said it was in talks with dealers in Saudi Arabia and planned to sign a dealership agreement by the end of this year as part of its efforts to sell cars in the Middle East.

Earlier this week, Luxgen Motor held a news conference on the opening of its first Middle East outlet in Muscat, Oman, and introduced its sport utility vehicle (SUV) and multipurpose vehicle (MPV) models.

Before the inauguration of the Muscat outlet, Luxgen Motor had conducted tests for more than a year on its MPVs and SUVs to ensure the vehicles could withstand the region’s high temperatures and dusty climate.

Luxgen Motor president Hu Kai-chang (胡開昌) said international luxury car brands have long been vying for a piece of the wealthy Middle East market, and Luxgen is now joining the competition.

Hu said the company would promote the high-tech features of Luxgen models to boost the brand and attract buyers.

Luxgen Motor said it had marked next year as the year in which it would increase its global sales by extending its worldwide reach.

Besides Oman, Luxgen Motor has made inroads into several other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Laos and Russia.

Luxgen Motor will participate in this year’s Vietnam Motor Show, one of the most important annual events for the Vietnamese auto industry, which will run from Wednesday to Sept. 30 at Hanoi’s Giang Vo Exhibition Center. Luxgen Motor will unveil its passenger car model — Luxgen 5 Sedan — for the Vietnamese market at the auto show.